We Speak to where you live.

Best of the Northwest 2026 | The Winners Are In

The winners are in. Years of tradition. Your chosen winners. Welcome to the 17th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards. For 17 years, our readers have been telling us where they eat, shop, play, sip, self-pamper, and spend their time. This year’s winners…

Homemade Hard Candy and Gummies | Recipe

Whether you’re stocking a candy dish, filling Halloween treat bags, or just looking for a fun fall activity, making candy from scratch is surprisingly approachable. With a handful of pantry ingredients and a little patience, you can create hard candies and chewy gummies in nearly any flavor, shape, and color. Try seasonal flavors like apple and cinnamon, or stick with nostalgic favorites like cherry, orange, and strawberry. Cleanup is easier than you might…

Itching for Italian | Moltobello Ristorante Italiano

Embedded deep within downtown La Conner is a new Italian restaurant that goes by the name Moltobello Ristorante Italiano. There’s nothing like an authentic, locally-owned and run restaurant, with…

The Morii Spooky the Merrier | Morii Mercantile

Taxidermy art. Vintage goods and oddities. Potion bottles and antique uranium glass juicers. Nothing combines witchy and whimsy better than Morii Mercantile, created in 2024 by Katie Donner after noticing a lack of spooky goods quite like hers in…

The Mixing Tin | Death in the Afternoon

Death in the Afternoon is a hauntingly strong cocktail with an eerie green hue and black licorice flavor. Rather than…

Beyond the Barre | Skagit Valley Academy of Dance

For Shelly Whan and Kelly Fellers, dance has never been just about pirouettes, pointe shoes, or polished performances. It’s been about community, friendship, and building a second home for generations of Skagit Valley families. Photograph courtesy…

A Fresh Take on Rustic | Rustic Bar & Grill

There’s a new destination for barbecue lovers in Lynden, and the experience goes well beyond the smoker. Rustic Bar & Grill opened for business on May 13 at the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites, adding an elegance to Whatcom County’s dining scene. The restaurant serves up fresh and refined dishes with an established feel that’s equally suited for a casual lunch or an evening out. Inside, cowhide accents, stone-lined walls, and…

A Couple’s Forest Hideaway | The Gravel Pit, Legend Homes

Some houses have very strong identities. This bright blue home is one of those houses, appearing like a bright tropical fish with rooflines reminiscent of gills. Those rooflines are responsible for a very calm, 100% daylit interior. Legend…

Local Mill Welcomes New Management | Fairhaven Mill

Fairhaven Mill recently welcomed Philip Fraley as the new general manager. The Mill has been an active, organic mill since 1974, serving businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest. Fraley has an extensive background in product management with 23 years of experience at Omega…

Shuck, Share, & Celebrate | Blaine OysterFest

As autumn settles over the waterfront, the Blaine OysterFest returns to celebrate the city’s aquaculture roots on Oct. 10. “It’s a very hometown fair kind of vibe with the seafood and harbor feeling to it. It’s a lot of fun,” says Olea Mills, the Event Coordinator at Blaine-Birch Bay…

Toe-tally Awesome Shoes | ReLaced

ReLaced, located in downtown Bellingham, prioritizes selling new, used, authentic, and well-made shoes to sneakerheads at great prices. The Shop This family-run streetwear shoe store, founded and owned by Lidija and Jesse Reading, first opened in March 2024 on Bay Street….

Since Time Immemorial | Xw’tot lhem Sequoyah Julius

Since Time Immemorial is a recurring series featuring community members whose families have been here since time immemorial. The ancestral knowledge carried by Lhaq’temish (Lummi), Nooksack, and other Coast Salish peoples is knowledge about how to live in our shared home in a good, life-sustaining way. We live in a time when we need to restore…